A hawk rests on a tree at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo, Texas, May 9, 2007. Wildlife enthusiasts fear this site could be spoiled by the fences and adjacent roads the U.S. government plans to erect along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and smugglers.

Border wall may sidestep review and cut off access to wildlife refuge

The Trump administration’s push to build a border wall through sensitive wildlife refuge lands in the Rio Grande Valley will face minimal, if any, scrutiny of environmental or other impacts, experts and former federal officials told the American-Statesman.

The Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, a popular birding destination near McAllen that draws more than 10,000 visitors a month, has become a flashpoint in the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to build 60 miles of new border wall in the Rio Grande Valley. About half that, including the barrier in the refuge, is slated to be a combination of flood protection levee walls topped by steel fencing.